Wrestled Scripture makes for Twisted Theology: Misinterpreting matthew 7:1 by David Lee Burris better understanding matthew 7:1 through reading the next sentence - Even better understanding matthew 7:1 from the next verses Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers (1) The plan and sequence of the discourse is, as has been said, less apparent in this last portion. Whether this be the result of omission or of insertion, thus much at least seems clear, that while Matthew 5 is mainly a protest against the teaching of the scribes, and Matthew 6 mainly a protest against their corruption of the three great elements of the religious life—almsgiving, prayer, and fasting—and the worldliness out of which that corruption grew, this deals chiefly with the temptations incident to the more advanced stages of that life when lower forms of evil have been overcome—with the temper that judges others, the self-deceit of unconscious hypocrisy, the danger of unreality. Judge not, that ye be not judged.—The words point to a tendency inherent in human nature, and are therefore universally applicable; but they had, we must remember, a special bearing on the Jews. They, as really in the van of the religious progress of mankind, took on themselves to judge other nations. All true teachers of Israel, even though they represented different aspects of the truth, felt the danger, and warned their countrymen against it. St. Paul (Romans 2:3; 1Corinthians 4:5) and St. James (James 4:11) alike, in this matter, echo the teaching of their Master. And the temptation still continues. In proportion as any nation, any church, any society, any individual man rises above the common forms of evil that surround them, they are disposed to sit in judgment on those who are still in the evil. The question, how far we can obey the precept, is not without its difficulties. Must we not, even as a matter of duty, be judging others every day of our lives? The juryman giving his verdict, the master who discharges a dishonest servant, the bishop who puts in force the discipline of the Church—are these acting against our Lord’s commands? And if not, where are we to draw the line? The answer to these questions is not found in the distinctions of a formal casuistry. We have rather to remember that our Lord here, as elsewhere, gives principles rather than rules, and embodies the principle in a rule which, because it cannot be kept in the letter, forces us back upon the spirit. What is forbidden is the censorious judging temper, eager to find faults and condemn men for them, suspicious of motives, detecting, let us say, for example, in controversy, and denouncing, the faintest shade of heresy. No mere rules can guide us as to the limits of our judgments. What we need is to have “our senses exercised to discern between good and evil,” to cultivate the sensitiveness of conscience and the clearness of self-knowledge. Briefly, we may say:—(1.) Judge no man unless it be a duty to do so. (2.) As far as may be, judge the offence, and not the offender. (3.) Confine your judgment to the earthly side of faults, and leave their relation to God, to Him who sees the heart. (4.) Never judge at all without remembering your own sinfulness, and the ignorance and infirmities which may extenuate the sinfulness of others. Benson Commentary Matthew 7:1-2. Judge not — Our Lord now proceeds to warn us against the chief hinderances of holiness. And how wisely does he begin with judging! Wherein all young converts are so apt to spend that zeal which is given them for better purposes. He must be understood as forbidding all rash and unfavourable judgments, whether of the characters of others in general, or of their actions in particular, glancing, probably, in these as also in some other expressions in this chapter, on the character of the Pharisees, who were very culpable on this head, as appears from divers passages in the gospels, such as Luke 18:9-14; Luke 16:14-15; John 7:47- 49, (compare also Isaiah 65:5,) and their unjust censures of Christ. Our Lord’s words imply, Judge not those about you in a rigorous and severe manner; nor pass unnecessary or uncharitable censures upon them, as many of your countrymen are in the habit of doing: nay, judge not any man, without full, clear, and certain knowledge of the blameableness of his conduct, nor without absolute necessity, and a spirit of tender love. That ye be not judged — Yourselves with the like severity. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged — Of God and man. “If you judge charitably, making proper allowances for the frailties of your brethren, and are ready to pity and pardon their faults, God and man will deal with you in the same kind manner; but if you always put the worst construction on everything that it will bear & aren’t touched with the feeling of your brother’s infirmities, and show no mercy in the opinions you form of his character and actions, no mercy will be shown to you from any quarter; God will treat you as you deserve, in the just judgment he shall pass upon your actions, and the world will be sure to retaliate the injury.” And with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again — Awful words! So we may, as it were, choose for ourselves, whether God shall be severe or merciful to us. God and man will favor the candid and the benevolent: but they must expect judgment without mercy, who have showed no mercy. Don’t Judge Me! By Wayne Jackson • One of the most common rebukes that we receive from irate readers is this: “Oh, you are judging!” Even more frequently is this charge levied from those seeking to justify aberrant and ungodly behaviors. And if there is one passage in the Bible with which the critics are familiar, surely it is this one: “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Mt. 7:1). They have no clue as to what the biblical text means, but they know it’s there! It is unfortunate that those who so flout this passage in such a careless fashion have not studied the broader biblical theme diligently. The truth is, this quibble, more often than not, is a mere defense mechanism that judges the alleged judge! The most common word for “judge” in the Greek Testament is the verb krino, found 114 times. It is rendered into English by a variety of terms (e.g., judge, determine, condemn, call in question, etc.). The word means to “select” and then to “come to a conclusion, make a determination.” Sometimes the idea relates to a conclusion about a specific act or a certain person. The basic term is neutral in its character. Only the context can suggest either a positive or negative connotation. Judging is not intrinsically evil. This is demonstrated by the fact that God judges (Heb. 12:23) and so does Christ (Acts 10:42; 2 Tim. 4:8). The common retort to this, though, is this: “Yes, God and Christ have the right to judge. But we, who are but mere mortals, do not.” That may sound noble, but it isn’t under-girded with scriptural evidence. The truth of the matter is, judging is both condemned and commended in the Bible. It is prohibited and commanded. But how can this be, if, as Christians commonly claim, the Scriptures are inspired by God, and thus do not contradict one another? The answer is a very simple one. The concept of judging is employed in different senses in sacred literature. When Is Judging Condemned? There are several New Testament passages in which judging is cast into a sinister light. Let us consider but three of these for illustrative purposes. In the Sermon on the Mount Christ spoke thusly: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you use, it shall be measured unto you. And why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck from your eye; when there is a log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye; and then you will see clearly how to take the speck from your brother’s eye” (Mt. 7:1-5). Appropriate judging must be done sincerely and for the welfare of the individual. Obviously, the individual who pronounces judgment on another person, when he is personally guilty of equal (or even greater) transgressions, is not genuine in his censures. Many of the Jews were of this hypocritical nature. While they condemned the gross wickedness of the pagans, they practiced identical breaches of fidelity (see Rom. 2:1-3). Does this imply that one must be sinless before he can declare a judgment concerning another’s conduct? No, it does not. Paul wasn’t sinless (Rom. 7:14ff; 1 Cor. 9:27; Phil. 3:12ff), but he didn’t hesitate to judge the flagrant fornicator who was disgracing the Corinthian church (1 Cor. 5:3). The person who presumes to judge, however, must be a truly spiritual person (cf. 1 Jn. 1:7) with the good of others genuinely in view (cf.